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Bleach: Flow of the Spirit / Solitude
__NOEDITSECTION__ A white figure stood over him as he laid on the ground, gasping for air. He searched for his blade, but it was lost in the darkness. His other senses had failed, and all he could feel was the Reiatsu of this figure, burning bright against the empty background. He knew now that it would not be long. Soon he would lose even that, and he would be utterly alone, lost to his own thoughts, oblivious to the world. He knew the pain of being alone, and he did not want to feel it again… Alone Tsugawa Kyōbashi awoke with a start. "Not again… It's happening more often…" He rolled over to look at the clock, even though he knew what it would say. 4:14 AM. He had been having these nightmares for two months now, since August 6… the day betrayed them all. The day his betrayed him. The day his pride in being a Shinigami was shattered. But that was over now… so why did they continue? At first, they only happened once a week or so, but now this was the third time in a week. Not only that, they were becoming more intense. Recurring dreams were one thing, but this… these even made his Reiatsu flare in the middle of his sleep. No normal dream did that. No one had noticed yet, due to the commotion caused… but with him gone and the " " coming to an end, someone would notice soon. The Zanpakutō… try as he might, Tsugawa still hadn't met his sword's spirit. He fought to his limit, and he sat in for at least an hour a day, but it would not reveal itself. He sighed and arose from his bed, remembering that he was on duty today. May as well get an early start, he decided. Assignment After showering and dressing, he reported to his captain's office for his assignment. The half-light of morning before sunrise filled the room. "Good morning, Captain ," he said as he entered, bowing. "Oh, good morning," replied the captain, jovial as usual. "And I keep telling you, there's no need to be so formal all the time." "Force of habit," Tsugawa replied, grinning. "So, I hear the 10th Division's expedition yesterday was…" He stopped, looking for the right words. "Yes, you could say… it was successful," Ukitake answered, his smile fading. The could be heard playing and laughing in the adjacent room. "It'll be over soon, won't it…" "It appears that way," he observed rather glumly. "Oh, right, today's assignment… Speaking of that, the Tenth requested a post-mission patrol through that area, and I'd like you to do it." Tsugawa's eyes widened a bit. "Just me, sir?" "Yes. I knew you'd enjoy the fresh air, and I'm sure you can manage." Tsugawa broke out in a grin again. "Yes sir. If I'm not done by nightfall, I'll stay at Umeda's inn. I'll be back in by this time tomorrow." "All right then, don't have too much fun! You'll make me and have to come join you!" Ukitake said, laughing. "I'll do my best," he said as he bowed again and left. Detachment Tsugawa left immediately, heading out the White Road Gate into West . After greeting , he used Shunpo to dash through the air, flying above the rooftops. The sun was just coming over the green horizon, beams of light following him westward. Most everyone was still asleep, and Rukongai looked strangely empty. It felt odd, being back in West Rukongai again after so long. He observed the slow but steady degradation of society as he passed over, from the 15th district, to the 20th, to the 25th… He felt completely alien to it, although he had grown up in worse. But that was many years ago; best not to dwell on it, he decided. He continued on, passing the 60th… now the 70th… finally the 80th. He reached the end of Rukongai and stopped, resting on a pine bough. Now his search would begin. He closed his eyes and focused on the Reiatsu flowing around him, feeling for anything abnormal. He noticed a spike and immediately flew in its direction. Sure enough, a was there. It immediately turned on him, crazed and bestial in appearance. Drawing his Zanpakutō, Tsugawa dispatched it with a single quick swipe, and it fell to the ground as a broken blade. He watched as the fragments disintegrated, returning to the Reishi they had once been. He didn't have to look up to know that more had gathered, sensing his Reiatsu. Madness "Your masters are dead," he told the Tōjū that now swarmed around him. "There is no need to fight anymore." He slowly raised his head, looking around the clearing. If they understood him, they showed no sign of it. "Fair enough," he said. "If that is your choice, then you'll be joining them." He gripped his sword and widened his stance. The first one ran at him, flailing its sword aimlessly. He effortlessly sidestepped it and slammed his hand down into the side of its neck, downing it instantly. "There are so many…" He flew up and out of the clearing, hiding his Reiatsu and standing atop a nearby tree, to assess the situation. He looked on in abhorrence as they slaughtered each other, not even noticing that he was no longer there. "So this is the nature of the Tōjū…" he thought, losing any doubts he had that they should be eliminated. "They're no better than Hollows…" Although he despised killing, he made an exception for those heartless monsters. The monsters that had robbed him of his family… twice. The fray was almost over, as the last few remaining Tōjū staggered towards each other. Drawing his blade, he jumped down and ended their irreversible madness. Deception Tsugawa felt the Reiatsu around him dissipate as the dozens of broken blades dissolved. "Still so many… This may take longer than I expected…" he thought, knowing all too well where the great numbers of Tōjū had come from. "And I didn't bring a , so I can't very well call for backup… Oh well. It has to be done, and I can handle it." He continued on, heading out towards the mountains. One thing still disturbed him: how could the expedition party have missed so many? Something was not right. It wasn't like them to make mistakes like that. They even had a Lieutenant with them… … unless something else tricked them? Regardless, it was now his duty to get to the bottom of this. He continued on, feeling for Reiatsu as he traveled deeper into the woods. As he expected, he found more Tōjū wandering by themselves; one bloodthirsty look from them was all Tsugawa needed to see that their minds were gone. He eliminated them, one by one. After a few hours, the trees around him grew sparse before disappearing entirely. He had come to the white mountains that laid due west of Seireitei. He slowed his pace, coming to a stop between two high cliffs. Here, the mountains formed a immense white bowl in the middle of the forest. The soil was too shallow and rocky for trees to grow, so the interior was filled with wildflowers. It was early autumn, so the were in full bloom. Thousands of them filled the basin, painting the ground scarlet. It had been years since he had seen so many of those flowers, he thought, when he finally realized just where he was. Recollections Tsugawa remembered the stories he was told as a child, about those red lilies. People said that they symbolized death and loss. "Spider lilies," some called them. He despised spiders, and didn't think the name was befitting such a blossom. Their thin sanguine petals, to him, were reminiscent of life itself. Precious, and yet so fragile… His knees buckled under him. He fell to the ground, doubled over. Tears welled in his eyes as all the memories flooded back… some of joy… many more of pain. 36 years ago now… he was still a child. Memory Tsugawa didn't remember his parents. He was too young; the little he knew about his parents was what he was told by the man who adopted him, Tarō Nakamura. He was always the one Tsugawa thought of as his father. Tarō was a stonemason in his first life. He died young, in his early 30's. It was an accident, but quick and painless. He didn't even realize it until the others around him did. As he could still feel and think, it didn't bother him that much. He had no family, nor anyone to worry about leaving behind. In his eyes, it was really no different. After traveling to the Soul Society, he was placed in the 69th District of West Rukongai. Even though it was a far cry from the murderous wasteland of the 80th, poverty was universal, and work was hard to come by. As a result, he ended up working with a few other skilled carpenters that he met, working wherever there was someone in need of a decent house. The work was hard and the pay was next to nothing, but it kept him active and he enjoyed it. Besides, there was no need to eat, so he only needed to keep his clothes and tools in decent condition. The greatest reward to him was the knowledge that those he provided with homes could live better. On that particular day, his crew was working in the 71st District, building a house for a family with 4 young children. They worked until the sky grew orange with the setting sun. This left just enough time for them to return to their own homes before it grew dark. The darkness was dangerous. During the day, everyone was out, making it safe enough to deter would-be thieves or muggers; but at night, there was no such protection. But even the most hardened thieves risked their lives to be out at night. Because of course, there were the Hollows. Origin The workday drew to a close. Tarō gathered his things and began the long walk back to his small home in the 69th District. He quickened his pace as he left the small cluster of houses and came to the narrow dirt path. Out here, the districts were larger, and houses were fewer and farther between. It was not uncommon to have a half-mile stretch of forest between one home and the next. Tarō was somewhere in the 70th when the sky was just turning from orange to violet. That was when he saw the black curls of smoke rising above the trees. He ran towards their source as fast as he could. Within a few minutes, he came to a small house that sat all by itself some distance off the path. Or rather, what was left of it. It appeared that half of the structure had been flattened by some tremendous force. What still stood of it was leaning askew and appeared ready to join its counterpart on the ground. Flames licked at the bases of the walls, clearly having spread from the ashen remains of the collapsed part. Just then, he heard an infant's cries. Disregarding his own safety, he ran into the smoldering hut. There was only one room. He found the child in a crib, but no one else was there. He picked up the child and ran out of the building. He was not a moment too soon. The remaining frame collapsed, a burning beam falling and glancing across his shoulder and back. Pain shot through his body, but he managed to escape from the wreckage. Thankfully, the infant was unharmed. As he stepped back from the flaming debris, he observed a set of massive three-toed footprints leading towards and then away from where the house stood. They were unmistakable. Desolation